Chemistry
by nateypob10
Summary: Derek Hale is the new kid in school, and he's attracting a lot of attention. Because of his high intelligence, he's taking classes mostly above his grade level. He's instantly befriended by Stiles Stilinski, who he has a secret attraction for, but soon they're both dragged into a mysterious and dark world. Highschool!Derek (Rated M for future chapters) [Continued from OTPCD3]
1. Chapter 1

There was something special about the boy in Derek Hale's chemistry class. Besides his obvious ADHD and witty personality, there was something about him that Derek couldn't put a finger on, and it drove him crazy. Sure, Derek found Stiles attractive, intriguing even. He had known he was gay for almost a year, but he had never really felt attracted to anyone before. It was only the first day and he had Stiles all figured out, or so he thought. He sat right behind him; he was excellent at chemistry so he preferred to pay attention to Stiles rather than the class. He counted the small moles on the back of his neck, (there were 6), he knew that he was constantly tapping a pen, a pencil, or his foot, and that he would stick out his tongue and lick his bottom lip subconsciously whenever he was concentrating. He especially liked Stiles' hair; it was slightly similar to his own but it had its own uniqueness to it. He got particularly lost in it, finding himself trying to count each and every one of his hairs...  
"Mr. Hale, can you give me the answer please?" He suddenly snapped out of his trance, looking around and seeing everyone in the class staring at him. After all, he WAS the odd one out. It was his first day at a new school, and he was a sophomore taking mostly junior lever classes. He saw three different conversion problems on the board, so he cleared his throat and said, "I'm sorry, which one?" A few of the other students laughed quietly, others whispered to each other. The teacher, Mr. Kempt rolled his eyes. "Well Mr. Hale, why don't we go for all three?" Derek shrugged and stood up, quickly walking up to the board. He uncapped a marker and jotted down the three answers in a matter of seconds while the class sat, dumbfounded. He stepped back, looking humble, and put the cap back on the marker. Mr. Kempt was visibly shocked as he stammered, "That's-that's right. All three... All three are correct!"  
Derek winced as a sudden realization hit him. Now he would be pegged as the freaky braniac dude, and nobody would want to be his friend. But what kind of teacher makes students go up to the board and do work on the first day, anyway? He lowered his head and trudged back to his seat, slumping down. Stiles turned around to him while Mr. Kempt started to drone on about famous chemists, and his heart jumped a bit. "Dude, that was awesome! How do you do it?" Derek just shrugged. He really didn't know, it had just been something that had always come to him naturally. He was trying to think of something to say in reply, but Stiles turned back around, and the bell rang. Derek quickly gathered his books, letting the paper with his schedule rest on top. He had lunch next, and he was definitely hungry.  
As he was leaving the room, the schedule was snatched off the top of the pile from over his shoulder, and he turned around to see Stiles scanning it. "Wow we have like, 4 classes together! Chemistry, Calculous, and Biology..." Derek nodded and cleared his throat, but Stiles ignored it. "AND LUNCH! Awesome! Alright, let's go, I'm gonna introduce you to some awesome people!" Derek started to protest, but Stiles grabbed his arm and practically dragged him all the way to the cafeteria.  
"Ok, so that was pretty sudden and slightly violent, but I'll make it up to you by paying for your lunch!" Derek shook his head. "Stiles, you don't have to-" but he was interrupted. "Up, up, up, up! I'm not having any of that, I'm buying you lunch and you'll like it!" He smiled then laughed, and Derek sighed, nodding. "Fine, fine." He made sure not to get very much food though. The whole time, his heart was racing, his palms were sweating, but he managed to remain fairly calm and stoic on the surface. He almost dropped his tray at one point because of his slippery hands, but Stiles didn't notice. After he had payed for both of their lunches, he guided Derek over to a table where about 3 other people sat. Derek recognized one of them, and he recalled that her name was Lydia. She seemed like a normal, ditzy teenage girl at first, but they were both taking AP English together.  
She seemed to recognize him too, smiling invitingly. "You're Derek right? You're like the really smart sophomore taking all junior level classes?" Derek nodded, grimacing. Already, he was being labeled. Stiles scoffed. "Lydia, this is lunch, you can save your brainy talk for later!" Lydia glared at him but said nothing, turning her attention to her salad and filing her nails. Derek sat down, not needing to introduce himself to the other two anymore. Not that they would have heard him; they were practically inhaling each other's faces. Stiles cleared his throat. "Scott, Allison, introduce yourselves..." They looked up, slightly breathless, smiling awkwardly. "I'm Scott, and this is Allison." Derek awkwardly raised his hand slightly, giving a small wave but ultimately looking stupid. He frowned and quickly put his hand down.  
"So Derek, you're in all junior level classes, but you're still a sophomore... Shouldn't you have skipped a grade or something?" Derek shook his head. "I'm taking sophomore level history, I've never been good with history... Plus I never really cared about what grade I was in. My family moves around a lot, so I never really make friends." Allison frowned sympathetically. "Why do you move around so much?" Derek opened his mouth to answer, then closed it. He too frowned. "I...I actually don't know." Lydia raised an eyebrow. "So you've been moving around for your whole life, and you don't know why?" Derek could hear the disbelief in her voice. "It sounds ridiculous, I know."  
Stiles clasped Derek's shoulder firmly. "Well, maybe this time you'll stick around?" Derek sighed, muttering, "I hope so..." Derek stared down at his tray, empty of the small amount of food that Stiles had bought. He stood up and Stiles asked, "Hey, where are you going?" Derek was hoping he wouldn't ask. "To the library... I wanna see if they have any good books I haven't read yet." Stiles raised an eyebrow. "You sure you don't wanna sit with us? We don't bite! Well, Allison and Scott, maybe..." They both shot him an annoyed glare then went back to feeding each other grapes. Derek chuckled. "Sorry, maybe another time?" Stiles nodded, looking almost... disappointed? Derek crossed the cafeteria and placed his tray where it belonged but was suddenly grabbed from behind.  
He jumped, turning around to see Stiles. "Jesus Stiles! What is it?" Stiles rocked back and forth on his feet, looking around for a second. "I was wondering if I could have your number? Lydia mentioned you were taking AP English, and she's not willing to tutor me. I was wondering if... maybe you could?" Derek smiled. "Sure, but it's only the first day of school. I wouldn't know what to tutor you in... And how would you even know that you need tutoring?" Stiles froze, eyes slightly widened. "Uh, um, I-" he stuttered. Derek felt the tension in his chest start to fade. He didn't know why, but for some reason Stiles was just about as nervous as himself. "Hold out your hand." Stiles blinked, not seeming to understand. "What?" Derek chuckled. "Hold out your hand, so I can write my number?"  
Stiles pointed at him and smiled. "Ah, right, smart guy!" Derek grabbed a pen from his pocket and wrote his cell number on Stiles' hand. He capped the pen and put it back into his pocket, saying, "Well, I'm gonna go now. Talk to you later, I guess?" Stiles nodded, trying to find something to say. "Bye!" Derek laughed as he turned away. Stiles wasn't very discreet about anything, and the fact that he was so nervous gave Derek so much hope. As he exited the cafeteria, he looked back at Stiles, who was shoving his hand in the face of everyone at the table. He could tell by his lip movements that he was saying, "I got his number! Oh my god!"


	2. Chapter 2

Derek sat in the library, reading and re-reading a paragraph about famous scientists, waiting for Stiles to text him. Even if he had Stiles' number, he would never be brave enough to initiate the conversation; plus it just wasn't his style. He was worried that Stiles had already forgotten, but he realized that sounded illogical; Stiles had to have a good reason that he wasn't texting Derek. Maybe he just wanted to eat his lunch? Derek sighed, sick of seeing the same 7 sentences over and over, so he turned the page and put his head down on the book. He breathed in the scent of the book, a fragrance all too familiar to him. He frowned when he realized that he hardly ever actually texted anybody; he didn't really have any friends from where he used to live.  
He giggled a bit, knowing that Stiles was technically his first friend that wasn't a character from a book or TV show. Then he frowned again, realizing how pathetic that actually sounded. He jumped and almost screamed when his phone vibrated in his pocket, and with shaking hands he retrieved it from the pocket of his tight jeans. He looked at the message flashing on the screen.

_**Hey dude, it's Stiles! How are things in the library?**_

Derek smiled stupidly at his phone, typing out a reply.

_**Boring actually, I kinda regret leaving the caf.**_

He sighed, placing his phone on the table face down. Maybe his unlimited texting plan would finally be useful! The bell rang and he groaned a bit, putting his phone back into his bag and putting it on silent. He would have to talk to Stiles when he got home later.

As soon as he got off the bus, he rushed into his house, pulling off one shoe and then the other, dropping his bag in a chair and grabbing his phone. He practically flew up the stairs, closed his door and flopped down onto his bed, texting Stiles a short 'hey'. He couldn't remember being as excited as he was for a long time, since he was much younger. Ever since his dad had died, he hadn't been very emotional. He preferred to bottle up his emotions and then pour them out later, in the form of poetry, or writing. But if he ever opened up to someone, he would feel vulnerable, and he was sick of that. That's why his mom decided to move the family, she thought Derek and his two sisters would be able to start their lives over. Before, they had lived in a small town, and they were usually just known as 'the son or daughter of that guy who died'. Derek hated that, how his dad's death followed him around everywhere.  
Already though, he was getting settled into their new house, the new neighborhood. They had moved in at the beginning of the summer, but he hadn't gone out or done much for those three months. The only time he remembered leaving the house for something besides shopping for food was his 15th birthday, when his mom insisted that she take him out for dinner. He had grimly agreed, knowing he would have to leave his room eventually anyway.  
It had been about 10 minutes since he sent the text, so he left his phone on his bed and turned on his computer, plopping down in the chair. He didn't have any homework yet, so he figured he could do something to entertain himself. He had done mostly writing and even drawing during the summer, but he also liked to watch old TV shows and movies that he found on the internet. One of his favorites was "The Wolf Man", and it sparked a strange interest in him. He found himself doing research about werewolves, reading up about all of the myths and folklore. He was practically a lycanthropic expert.  
He heard the faint vibration of his phone on the bed, and he rolled over to it in his chair. It was a message from Stiles-who else would it be anyway?-that said:

**_Hey sorry, at lacrosse practice, talk to you in an hour or so?_**

Derek pouted a bit; he would have to wait for 2 hours after school almost every day if Stiles was on the lacrosse team. Sure, it would test his patience, but he figured Stiles was worth it.

**_No problem, ttyl_**

He dropped the phone back onto the bed, letting his head fall back and hit the chair. He didn't even realize how tired he was. He crawled onto his bed, his eyelids suddenly heavy. It was only 4:00, but he felt like sleeping.

He was awoken by his phone buzzing against his thigh, still lying on his bed where he dropped it. He rubbed his eyes groggily; he had slept for an hour.

_**K, practice is over now. It should end at around 5 every day, btw. So... what's up?**_

_**Not much actually, I was asleep but my phone woke me up**_

_**Aww, sorry, my fault! You wanna hang out?**_

Derek's heart jumped up into his throat. He was already asking him to hang out; they had known each other for a day. It was almost TOO obvious that Stiles was crushing on him, and he could feel his cheeks getting hot. He thought about it; it was a Friday night (the first day of school on a Friday, how stupid), he had no plans, and his mom basically begged him to go out and be social. Why would she refuse?  
Right as he stood up to go ask her, she knocked on his door and came into his room. "Hey sweetie, do you-are you blushing?" Derek shook his head, then nodded, then smiled as he did something in between. His mom looked at him, confused and waiting for him to explain. "Well?" She noticed his phone in his hand. "Oh, I see, you're texting someone! Who is she?" Derek sighed. He hadn't actually told his mom that he was gay yet. "It's uh-" he cleared his throat, "it's not a 'she', it's a 'he'..." His mom didn't look phased whatsoever. In fact, she looked...pleased?  
He raised an eyebrow. "Mom, did you-" but she interrupted with, "Yes Derek, I knew already!" She laughed and sat down on the bed, patting right next to her to invite him to sit. He sat down and looked at the ground, blushing even more. She gave him a concerned look. "Der, is there something wrong?" He shook his head, wondering why he felt almost like he had been betrayed. She sighed. "I've been your mother for 15 years Derek, I can tell when something's wrong. Please, tell me." He looked up. "How long have you known?" She shrugged. "A few years?" His eyes widened. "I didn't even know until the beginning of last summer! How did you...?" She frowned. "Mother's intuition?" He felt himself start to get angry. "Why didn't you try to talk to me about this?!" She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. "I wanted to wait until YOU were ready to talk about it. I still love you just as much Derek, and I'm so proud of you for being so open and honest with me!" His anger melted. There was nobody in the world that he loved as much as his mother.  
"So? His name?" He smiled. "It's Stiles." She raised an eyebrow. "That's an interesting name!" He laughed, "Well, he's an interesting guy!" He looked up at her and she was genuinely proud, he could tell. She pulled him into a hug and he whispered "I love you more than anything." She kissed him on the forehead as she stood up and left the room. "Wait, mom!" She turned around, "Yes?" Derek cleared his throat. "He uh, he kinda asked me if I could hang out with him. Can I?" She raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're just hanging out? Is this a date?" He frowned. "I-I actually don't know..." That's when he remembered he hadn't texted Stiles back.

**_Sure, I'd love to hang out! Where and when?_**

"Alright, well I'm sure you'll find out when you get there! Do you need me to drive you?" His phone vibrated in his hands.

**_Don't worry about that, I can pick you up! What's ur address?_**

Derek smiled and shook his head. "He says he can pick me up!" His mom smiled. "Even better, I can meet him before you go!" Derek rolled his eyes and sighed as he texted Stiles his address.

**_Thanks dude, I'll be there in like half an hour!_**

"He should be here in about half an hour!" His mom winked at him and closed the door, and he panicked when he realized he wasn't ready to go on a date, let alone his first EVER date!  
Right away, he decided that if he was going to have any kind of relationship with Stiles, he wanted to be open and honest.

**_Stiles, I have a question_**

**_...yeah?_**

He swallowed and took a deep breath.

**_Is this a date Stiles?_**

**_Only if you want it to be ;)_**

His eyes widened. He felt himself blushing again as he replied:

**_Yeah, I think I'd like that_**

He scrambled off of his bed so he could shower and get changed. He was about to go on his first date.


	3. Chapter 3

He ran a comb through his black hair, trying to look as presentable as he possibly could. He opened his closet and looked through his clothes, finding a pair of jeans and a leather jacket in the back (something he wouldn't have worn normally). He brushed his teeth, twice, then went downstairs and sat on the couch. His mom was making dinner, which he would be missing. "So, first day of school and you already have a date?" Derek hadn't even thought of that. He chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I guess I do..." She sat down next to him. "You have your phone right? I want you to text me when you get there, tell me where you are, and let me know when you think you'll be home." He rolled his eyes. "Yeah mom, I got it covered!" She sighed. "You know how I worry Derek..." He nodded, then whipped his head toward the door when he heard a car horn honk outside.

_**Come inside, my mom wants to meet you (don't worry, she's pretty awesome)**_

_**Umm... Ok, will do...**_

Derek could tell Stiles wasn't too fond of his request, but he was happy he agreed without protest.  
He opened the front door right as Stiles was about to ring the doorbell; he left his hand floating for a second then retracted it awkwardly. "Well? Come in!" He nodded and walked in, past Derek, brushing against him as he did. Derek closed the door and his mom stood up, shaking Stiles' hand and inviting him to sit down. Derek gave her a look that said 'mom-you-said-you-wanted-to-meet-him-not-interview -him' but she started asking questions anyway. She just asked what grade he was in, what kind of classes they were taking, and where Stiles was taking Derek. At that point, Stiles leaned into her and whispered in her ear. Derek raised an eyebrow; Stiles really DID want to keep it a secret until they got there. His mom's eyes widened, and he could tell that she was impressed and approved of Stiles right away.  
"Alright, well you two have fun, have him back before... We'll say 11?" Derek had a short, secret celebration; usually even 10 o'clock was pushing his luck. His mom must have really liked Stiles' first impression. Stiles nodded and patted Derek on the shoulder. "Ready?" He stood up, hugging his mom and whispering 'bye' into her ear, leading Stiles out of the front door. In the driveway was a light blue Jeep that looked ragged and run down. Stiles even opened the passenger door for him as he got in. "I happen to be a gentleman!" he said as Derek rolled his eyes. They pulled out of the driveway, silent for a few moments. Finally, Stiles broke the silence.  
"Your mom seems nice! I think she liked me too?" Derek nodded. "Yeah, I could tell! It's kinda funny how fast things are going..." Stiles groaned. "Oh crap, I rushed you into this didn't I? You weren't ready were you? I'm so sorry, I can take you back home if you-" Derek laughed. "Relax, Stiles. That's not what I meant. It's just... my mom literally found out that I'm gay like an hour ago. She took it really well obviously, but I just feel like suddenly my social life is taking off!" Stiles sighed, relieved. "I still feel bad though. Everything seems so sudden, you know?" Derek nodded. "It's ok, I'm ok, really! I'm really happy we're doing this. If anything, it'll be a good way for us to get to know each other. Maybe though... maybe we shouldn't consider it a date?" Though Stiles looked slightly disappointed, he agreed. "You're right. I think that's probably the best idea. In that case, do you mind if we go somewhere more fun then what I planned?" Derek nodded. "Sure! What did you have planned, anyway?" Stiles blushed. "I was gonna take you to dinner at Tate's". Derek scoffed. "Stiles, isn't that one of the most expensive restaurants around here? Are you crazy?!" Stiles shrugged. "I didn't want you to think-" "You didn't want me to think what? Stiles... please don't go out of your way to impress me, I want to like you for YOU, not for some show you put on!" Stiles smiled and nodded. "Ok, I'm sorry. But thank you, I needed that little reality check." "No need to be sorry! Just... be you! So, where are we going instead?"  
"There's a diner that I go to with my friends all the time, the staff all know us by name there! The food is pretty good, but it's the atmosphere and the music and everything that really makes it cool!" Derek remember the last time he went out for a meal; it had been his 15th birthday. He didn't even remember the name of the restaurant, only that the food was Italian and was surprisingly delicious! For the first time in a long time, he liked the idea of a noisy crowded diner, as long as he was there with Stiles. "That sounds perfect."  
They pulled into the parking lot of the diner; the first thing Derek noticed was that the diner didn't even have a name, it was just called "Diner". He chuckled a little bit, but unbuckled his seat belt and stepped out of the Jeep. He put his hands in his pockets and caught up to Stiles, who was already opening the door to the diner. He was instantly greeted by the smell of something frying and the pounding of a drumbeat and a bass line. Stiles smiles at him invitingly, almost as if he were going into his home. It was nothing like a typical diner; it did have booths and a large counter against the back wall with stools, but occupying the rest of the space was a 70's-esque dance floor, lit up with many different colors.  
Derek took a deep breath, not used to being in public with so many people around. He hadn't moved from his spot, and Stiles placed a hand on his shoulder, screaming over the music. "Are you sure you wanna do this? You look hesitant." Derek shook his head. "I'm sorry, I just haven't done anything like this before." Stiles gave him an understanding look. "Let's head over to the counter and get some food?" Derek allowed Stiles to lead him through the crowd; bodies moving to the harsh, steady rhythm threatening to push the two boys apart. Stiles grabbed Derek's wrist and slightly pulled him, and then they were at the counter. The music wasn't as loud there; they could talk without screaming.  
Stiles addressed the woman working at the bar. "Hey Madge, I'll have the usual! And also... Derek, what do you want?" Derek huffed, looking at the dozens of choices on the menus hanging above them. "Uh, what do you suggest?" Stiles laughed. "Just make that 2 orders, Madge?" She nodded, the whispered something in his ear. He giggled then gasped, pretending to shove her away. Derek looked around awkwardly until she walked into the kitchen to place their orders. "So, what's 'the usual'?" Stiles grimaced. "Oh God, I'm sorry! I always order a bacon cheeseburger and a blue raspberry soda, I hope that's ok?" Derek nodded, about to say something else when he was interrupted by a girl, about his age.  
"Hi, Do you uh, do you wanna dance?" Derek looked at Stiles, who was trying to hide his laughter. "Oh, I'm sorry, are you two, like, together?" Derek said 'NO!' and Stiles said 'YES!'. THey looked at each other, both of them blushing. The girl scoffed, looking slightly offended. "You two might wanna figure that out..." and she walked away. Then Stiles really laughed, covering his face with his hands. "I'm sorry, but that was hilarious! Did you see the look on her face?" Derek smirked. "Yeah, she seemed kinda pissed..." Stiles looked over at Derek, studying his face and his eyes and his hairline. Derek felt his gaze and looked back at him, but instead of snapping his head around, he allowed Stiles to look him in the eyes.  
"ORDER UP BOYS!" Madge yelled as she set their food down. Derek jumped and almost fell off of his stool, but Stiles grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back up. He gave him an appreciative smile then picked up his burger, sinking his teeth into it. He felt a small trail of juice run down his chin, but he was too busy enjoying the tender meat and crispy bacon to care. Stiles looked at him expectantly, waiting for Derek to tell him what he thought. As soon as he swallowed, he said "This is the best thing I've had in a while!" Stiles cheered and punched the air, picking up his own burger and digging in, finishing it within a matter of minutes. The blue liquid was sweet and cold, and tickled Derek's throat as it traveled towards his stomach.  
Every so often, Stiles would look over at him and smile, and Derek could almost feel his heart warming more with each smile. Stiles was so adorable, taking either big gulps or small sips of his soda, licking the sticky remains off of his lips after each mouthful. After they had both finished, Madge took their plates and glasses. "Thanks Madge!" After she went to take care of another customer, Stiles whispered to Derek, "Earlier she told me that she went to a fortune teller earlier today. She was told that 'a close friend would find new love' and she thought it meant me. I didn't wanna leave you in the dark there." Derek blushed, wondering if maybe it could be love? He blinked hard, shaking his head. It wasn't even technically their first date, he shouldn't be thinking about love yet.  
"So, do you dance at all? We could get out on the floor if you wanted to." Honestly, Derek liked to dance. Sure, he wasn't good at it, but it was a good way to get some exercise every now and again. So, he shrugged, hoping Stiles wouldn't make him dance. Though it was fun, his dancing wasn't something he wanted to expose the public to. Stiles looked at his watch. "It's only 7:30... You up for doing something else? Maybe seeing a movie?" Derek loved movies, but he hadn't seen one in a theater for multiple years. "Sure, sounds good!" Derek remembered that his mom wanted updates on his location, so he sent a simple:

**_Plans changed, went to a diner, now going to a movie_**

She must have been watching her phone, because within a matter of seconds he replied with:

**_Ok, have fun sweetie! Don't forget, home before 11_**

So maybe it wasn't a date, but he was still getting out of the house and hanging out with a guy who had a huge crush on him.  
As they exited the diner and the music faded behind them, Stiles whispered into his ear, "Next Friday, I'm taking you on a REAL date!" then winked at him as he got into the car, sending a shiver down Derek's spine. He couldn't even take it, Stiles seemed almost too good to be true. Almost.


	4. Chapter 4

Derek slept later than usual the next morning, due to the fact that he got home at 11 and didn't sleep until 3. He had replayed the events of the night in his head over and over, had memorized how Stiles talked, how he laughed, how he ate. He felt himself falling deeper and deeper, even though he had only known Stiles for a day. He felt so stupid about all of it, it seemed so cheesy and cliche that everything was already happening. He decided not to worry about that, to just let things happen. He promised himself, though, that he would try to keep things as slow and steady as possible. He didn't want to jump the gun and completely ruin the potential relationship.  
After the diner, they had gone to the movies and seen some new supernatural flick about werewolves. He had liked it, but it wasn't anything close to mythologically accurate. Still, Stiles had a great infatuation with werewolf movies, and it was interesting to see the kind of joy that such a simple thing could bring him. He liked seeing other people happy; happiness was an emotion that had been so few and far between for him lately, but with Stiles he felt like that changed. He forgot about his past and started thinking about the present, the future.  
There was a knock at his door and he sat up in his bed abruptly, arising from his half sleeping state that he had been in. He muttered a 'come in' and his older sister Laura slowly opened the door. "Are you alright in here? It's after noon, you're usually awake by 8 on a Saturday." Derek groaned and lay back down. "I'm fine, just let me sleep." She huffed. "Der, you have to get up, mom wants you to do your chores before she goes grocery shopping!" He rolled his eyes and sat up slowly, stretching out and yawning. "Fine, just lemme shower first." She closed the door, then opened it up quickly and asked, "So how was your date last night?" He threw a pillow at her and screamed "Get out!" as she slammed the door and went back downstairs, giggling.  
As much as they annoyed him, Derek was actually really happy to have his sisters. They kept him grounded somehow, almost as if they were anchors. He was close enough with them that he wasn't even uncomfortable when Laura had come into his room with the knowledge that he preferred to sleep naked. He tossed the sheet off of himself, opening the door that separated the family bathroom from his bedroom. He still hadn't decided if he liked the door or not; it was easy to get from his room to the shower without being seen fully naked, but he didn't trust locks very much either.  
He showered quickly and got dressed into sweatpants and a large t-shirt, his usual weekend clothing go-to. He was still groggy, sleep following him as he took out the trash, dusted the living room and did the dishes from everyone else's breakfast and lunch. He quickly made himself a sandwich and sat down to ate it when he heard the doorbell. He pouted at his sandwich but shouted "I'll get it!". He pushed away from the table and turned out of the kitchen, which was right near the front door. He opened it, expecting it to be the mailman delivering a package or another strange request from their weird neighbors. Instead, he was greeted by Stiles.  
"Oh, hey Stiles! What... what are you doing here?" Stiles smiled and stepped inside at Derek's silent request, replying with "Saturday is hang-out day! Usually it's just Scott, Allison, Lydia and me, but I thought you might wanna come if you were free?" Derek heard his mom call from the upstairs laundry room, "Derek, who is it?!" He smiled at Stiles then quickly climbed the stairs, almost running into her as she came out of the laundry room. "Geez, Derek, slow down! Who is it?" He had to catch his breath very briefly but he replied breathily, "It's Stiles, he's inviting me to-" but she interrupted him. "Listen Derek, I understand that you like this guy, and that things are going well for you, but don't you think you ought to take things a little bit slower?" He frowned, exhaling. "I know mom, I know... But this isn't a date either. It's with a group of people." She started running her finger over her right eyebrow, like she always did when she was making a decision. "Alright, fine, you finished your chores right?" He practically tackled her with a hug, saying, "Yes, they're done, thank you mom! I'll be back later!" As he turned around to return to Stiles, she called after him, "Find out where you're going and tell me before you go!" He gave her a thumbs up over his shoulder.  
He ran back down the stairs, stopping at the last one when he remembered what he was wearing. He quickly sprinted back up to his room, throwing on a polo and shorts, then running back downstairs. He was out of breath as he asked, "So... where is it... that we're going?" Stiles smiled, amused that Derek had gotten changed so quickly. "The bowling alley a couple blocks over, it's only like a 2 minute drive." He nodded and ran to the bottom of the stairs and shouted up to his mom to alert her that he was going, then joined Stiles in the living room.  
"Ok, sorry about all of that! I'm ready now though!" Stiles chuckled and Derek raised an eyebrow. "What is it? Is it what I'm wearing, do I have two different socks on?" Derek started to spin around and check his clothes, and Stiles shook his head. "No, it's just... You're adorable." Derek felt a stupid smile and an embarrassing blush spread across his face. He managed to get out a 'thanks' but instantly felt that he should have responded with 'you too'. Stiles gestured toward the door, which Derek opened and closed behind them. He could see the Jeep parked on the side of the road in front of his house, Scott, Allison and Lydia already packed into the back. "You saved shotgun for me?" Stiles shrugged. "They insisted for some reason. They think we're gonna get married or something, don't mind them." Derek laughed and opened the door, giving the people in the back a little wave and a 'hey'. In the rear view mirror he could see Scott making kissy faces at Stiles, who proceeded to punch him in the shoulder.  
"Derek why'd you change? I thought you looked fine before..." Derek scoffed. "Are you kidding? I was wearing old sweatpants and a shirt that was three sizes too big. I wouldn't be caught alive in public wearing that!" Stiles shrugged. "Ok, fair enough. Do a lot of bowling?" Derek shook his head. "No, I haven't for a while. What about all of you?" Lydia frowned and turned her head to the side slightly, thinking. "I wouldn't say a lot, but we try to at least once a month. Are you any good Derek?" Derek shrugged and she smiled. "I'm sure you'll at least be better than Stiles. Even Scott makes him look like a good bowler." Stiles and Scott said 'HEY!' in unison, eliciting a laugh from Allison, Lydia and Derek. "Well, I guess we'll have to see!" replied Derek.  
They pulled into the bowling alley and headed inside quickly, all renting shoes and picking a ball. The only one Derek could find that was the right weight was hot pink, but he just sighed and decided to go with it. They all entered their names into the computer, with Allison leading, then Lydia, then Scott, Stiles, and finally Derek. Stiles smiled apologetically. "Sorry, that's the order things usually go, I didn't even think to change it." Derek shook his head. "It's fine, I'll get to learn from all of your mistakes first!" Stiles gasped dramatically and faked offense. "Hey, I'm supposed to be the witty sarcastic one around here, you better watch yourself!" Derek beamed as he sat down, tightening the laces on his shoes, which didn't fit quite right and wiggled around a bit.  
He watched Allison and Lydia bowl strikes, then Scott throw two balls into the gutter. He groaned and shook his head, and Allison gave him some advice. "Scott, you have to stop thinking so much. Just aim towards the middle." He rolled his eyes and slumped down into a chair, gesturing at Stiles that it was his turn. Stiles rolled the ball around in his hands, his tongue absentmindedly poking at the corner of his mouth. He positioned it on his fingers and took a deep breath, stepping forward and throwing it. He froze, looking intently at the path of the ball, which started in a straight line toward the center pin, then veered sharply to the left and hit the end pin in the back row. He scrunched up his face as he waited for the machine to deposit the ball back into the rack, muttering to himself. Derek watched intently, once again studying Stiles' movements, the way he slightly mouthed words when he was thinking, the way he fidgeted his fingers around the ball. He threw again and hit 3 or 4 pins, but frowned when he turned around.  
"Something wrong?" Stiles shook his head. "No, I still don't think I've improved though. But this proves that I'm at least better than Scott!" Scott glared at him. "Well, I don't think I'm any good either so it doesn't matter!" Derek picked up his ball, stepping up to the end of the lane. He looked at the ball in his hands, the pins at the end, the distance between. He slipped his fingers into the holes, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He stepped forward and threw, opening his eyes as the ball spun down the lane. His eyes widened as it slammed into the front pin and sent the other 9 flying. Strike! He grimaced; he had totally shown up Stiles. He turned around, expecting to see Stiles angry. Instead, he stood up and started clapping, as did the other 3. "I'd say you're a natural! What other secret talents are you hiding from us?" Derek milked it as much as he could, bowing and waving. He didn't quite feel like himself; he was carefree and happy and it felt so right.


	5. Chapter 5

After a round of bowling, Lydia and Allison had completely dominated the guys. Allison ended up with a few more points than Lydia, but at least both of them had hit triple digits. After that first initial strike, Derek had done almost as badly as Stiles. He was afraid Stiles would think he was doing it on purpose, but in all honesty he just sucked at bowling! Before the next game started, they decided that they should get some food and split it amongst each other, so they all headed up to the snack bar in the back of the bowling alley, right next to the arcade. Allison rolled her eyes as she handed Scott and Stiles a few one dollar bills as they ran in, quickly turning the bills into tokens. Derek did like arcade games, but he wanted to give Scott and Stiles some bro time.  
Derek, Lydia and Allison sat at the snack bar, sipping on tall sodas and conversing about fairly basic topics; school, interests, relationships. Derek got a little bit red in the face at that point. The two girls kept asking him questions about the day before; they had somehow found out that he and Stiles had gone on a date. "It wasn't even technically a date, we agreed that we rushed things a little bit. At this point a date might not even happen..." Lydia frowned and shook her head. "No, don't say that! Stiles is just awkward, maybe YOU should ask HIM on a date! That would probably shut him up briefly." Just then, they heard cheering and whooping from inside the arcade. The three simultaneously leaned back on their stools to get a better look; Scott and Stiles were crouching in front of a game as it spewed tickets. Allison laughed and Lydia rolled her eyes, sighing. "Savages. That's what they are, savages!"  
Derek grinned stupidly. He had never really had friends before, it was all so new to him; hanging out, being together and picking on each other but knowing deep down you would give your life for them. He wasn't quite there yet, but he knew that someday he would be. He must have been staring blankly because Lydia snapped her fingers in his face. "Derek? Do you need another soda or something?" He scrunched his face up for a second, shaking his head. "No, sorry, I was just thinking..." Lydia raised her eyebrows as she took another sip of soda. "Thinking about who? I'll bet I could guess." she said in a sing-song voice. Derek glared at her playfully. Allison slid off her stool, groaning. "It looks like they're running out of coins, do either of you have any more money on you?" Derek reached into his pocket, fingers closing around a few bills.  
He pulled them out, extending his arm to give them to Allison, but he quickly retracted it when there was a crash from the other end of the bowling alley, accompanied by screams. The power flickered and most of the lights went out, leaving everyone in a semi-lit stupor. Derek fumbled around, grabbing the counter. He could see two prominent red lights darting around the lanes, could hear a sound similar to growling and snarling. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as the two lights focused directly on him and started to get bigger, closer. Someone grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the counter, the bills fluttering out of his hand. A door swung open and they were greeted by late afternoon light. Derek breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that his rescuer was none other than Stiles. They were in the parking lot, people finding their friends and regrouping, terrified.  
He looked over at Stiles, whose head was whipping back and forth, looking for the other three. "Stiles, you can... you can let go now." Stiles' head snapped to his hand around Derek's wrist and he let go. "Right, yeah, sorry! Do you see any of them?" Derek stood on his toes and craned his neck, scanning the crowd. Across the parking lot, he could see Lydia walking quickly, as if she knew where she was going. He followed her path and saw Scott and Allison, so he tapped Stiles on the shoulder and pointed to them. Stiles nodded and broke into a run, trying to avoid the other people around them but ultimately charging through the throng.  
Allison was in Scott's arms, crying into his shoulder; Lydia was rubbing her back and whispering soothing things to her. Derek stood a few feet away, not knowing what to do in the situation. Stiles put a hand on Scott's shoulder and suddenly Derek felt like he had been slapped in the face. They were already a group, already perfect, they had 4 wheels. If he tried to become closer with them, the group would just end up like a car that had an extra, pointless, fifth wheel. He sighed, feeling the slight sting of tears. Aside from all of that, he couldn't get the two red lights out of his head. They almost looked like... eyes? He shook his head, blaming his thoughts on the adrenaline.  
There was a sudden grip on his shoulder and he gasped, whipping around. Stiles pulled him into a tight hug and for some reason Derek started to cry. Again, he was blaming it on the terror of the situation, but there was something else their too. He felt then and there like he and Stiles just didn't belong together. But he was conflicted; the way Stiles was embracing him, the tightness and warmth and comfort that existed just in the simple gesture. It screamed something else, it told Derek that maybe things COULD be ok. Stiles released him, his hands still on Derek's shoulders. "Are you ok? I'm sorry, I should have checked to see if you were right away." Derek nodded, feeling another fat tear escape his eyelid. Stiles awkwardly reached up for his face, brushing away the tear with his thumb. "It's ok, we're gonna figure all of this out. I'm sure it was just some sort of power malfunction, it happens!"  
Derek shook his head. "There was something else, a huge crash." Stiles shrugged, obviously trying to think of some way to rationalize it. "People got scared, they probably just dropped their bowling balls." Derek sighed and nodded, still not convinced. The crash had happened BEFORE the blackout, and there was still something so unsettling about the red eyes. He got chills just thinking about it. Stiles let his hands drop back down to his side, taking one of Derek's hands in his own, their arms intertwining. Derek took a deep breath, the tears finally stopping. Allison was still recovering slightly, her breathing still shaky. Lydia was sitting with her on the curb, talking to her, comforting her with a steady flow of words. Scott sat behind her, gently squeezing her shoulders, not even speaking, just letting her know that he was there.  
Stiles and Derek joined them, still hand in hand. Lydia stood up, offering Allison a hand to help her up. Scott then grabbed her hand, almost like Stiles and Derek, except theirs was different. It was almost... forced? Derek didn't want to get into their personal business, but he was fairly good at reading people, and if he was correct, their relationship might not have been going very well. Stiles gave his hand a slight squeeze and Derek returned it, his previous qualms fading. His knees were still shaking, his pulse still sporadic, but he felt secure in the grip of Stiles.


	6. Chapter 6

Everyone involved in the incident was required to stay behind until the authorities arrived, both to get stories from witnesses and to make sure anyone present wasn't harmed. A police vehicle pulled into the driveway and Stiles gave Derek a gentle tug, guiding him in the direction of the car but letting go of his hand. Derek followed him, almost tempted to reach back out for him. A man stepped out of the car and Stiles broke into a run, shouting, "Dad! Over here!" Derek stopped running. He recognized the man; it was the sheriff, and also apparently Stiles' father.  
Stiles almost collided into his dad, talking rapidly and with a lot of hand movements and bodily spasms. Derek smiled; something about the awkwardness was so adorable to him and it was in that moment, he was hit with a sudden wave of desire. He wanted Stiles-not sexually-he wanted to be with him, to watch cheesy movies and make each other food and take care of each other when they're sick, and maybe someday... He sighed, he was getting ahead of himself. He had only known Stiles for a couple days, why should he be expecting anything? But then there was the feeling he got, every time he saw Stiles, every time he talked to him, when he held Derek's hand. He had never felt that way about anyone in his entire life.  
Suddenly Stiles whipped around, squinting his eyes and scanning the crowd, but for who? He stopped suddenly on Derek, eyes widening into an exasperated expression as he over dramatically motioned for Derek to join him and his dad. He smiled and jogged across the parking lot, around groups of people talking to police officers or regrouping after the incident. He stopped next to Stiles, and the sheriff immediately grabbed his hand. "So, you're the Derek I've been hearing so much about?" Derek blushed and nodded; he looked over and saw that Stiles was blushing too. Sheriff Stilinski released his hand and looked back and forth between the two of them, smiling and rolling his eyes. "Listen Derek, I need to tell you everything you saw-" Stiles groaned and interjected, "Dad, I already told you, the power went out. Nobody could see anything!"  
Derek nodded, than shook his head, shivering at the thought of the red spheres that seemed to penetrate his very soul. Sheriff Stilinski raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to say something. "Oh, right! Well, Stiles is right, all of the power went out and it was basically chaos, but..." Stiles frowned. "But what? You didn't say anything after it happened." Derek gave him an apologetic look. "Honestly I didn't think it actually happened."He turned toward the sheriff. "I... I saw eyes. They were red, almost like they were burning. It almost felt like they looked right at me, and I just felt so terrified and helpless and I can't figure out why. But that's not it, as soon as they found me, whatever it was started coming right toward me, and I froze. Luckily enough, Stiles dragged me out." Stiles puffed out his chest heroically as his dad frowned.  
"Are you... are you ABSOLUTELY sure you saw red eyes?" Derek shivered again and nodded. "Positive." Stiles put a hand on his shoulder, flashing him a concerned look. Derek smiled back at him weakly, leaning into him just a bit. "Alright, Derek, thanks for that. I need to see if there's anybody who has any other information; you two stay out of trouble!" Stiles gently pushed his dad away, shouting after him, "Since when did I not behave myself?!" Derek chuckled, then immediately sat down on the curb. Stiles flopped down next to him, pressing his shoulder against Derek's. "Hey, are you sure you're ok? You're white as a sheet..." Though it was September, a cold breeze whipped past them and Derek shivered again, nodding. "I'm fine, really. I just... can't get those eyes out of my head." Stiles nodded, taking off his hoodie and draping it over Derek's shoulders. Derek slipped his arms through and zipped it up, grateful that it was already warm from being on Stiles' body.  
Scott, Allison and Lydia rejoined them as they stood up, all with amused looks on their faces. Scott pouted and said, "Why don't you ever give me your hoodie to wear?" Stiles punched him in the shoulder but Lydia nodded at Derek, taking him aside with Allison, leaving Scott and Stiles to bicker. Lydia smiled at him, "He must really like you!" Derek smiled and blushed. "Why do you say that?" Allison huffed. "He NEVER gives his hoodie to anyone. He guards that thing with his life!" Derek laughed; the hoodie was too big for him so the sleeves hung over his hands and the torso of the hoodie rested right on the edges of his shoulders. He breathed in deeply; the hoodie smelled like Stiles and he never wanted to give it back.  
Lydia stopped walking, grabbing both of Derek's shoulders, looking him in the eye. "I want you to be careful." Derek raised an eyebrow, "Why's that exactly?" She sighed and frowned, as if she didn't exactly know why she had said that. Allison gently took Lydia's arms off of Derek's shoulders, answering for Lydia, "Stiles is unpredictable, and he can get attached really easily. We wouldn't want you to feel overwhelmed or trapped at any point... Here, if you ever need to talk you'll have my number." She took out a pen and the receipt for the bowling shoes, both her and Lydia writing down their numbers. Derek pocketed the thin paper, smiling gratefully.  
"Is there a reason you're being so nice to me?" They both shrugged, and Lydia answered with, "Well, Stiles is like our brother. And whoever makes him happy should make us happy too. Plus, you're pretty freaking adorable!" He didn't know why he was so worried before. He wasn't a fifth wheel, he wasn't going to be rejected. In fact, they had already accepted him.


	7. Chapter 7

After the incident in the bowling alley, multiple weeks flew by. In his past, Derek's first weeks of school were usually slow and boring, but things seemed to move very quickly in Beacon Hills. Ha and Stiles hadn't talked very much; ever since the parking lot, Stiles seemed to be awkward-more than usual-and Derek was concerned. He specifically remembered Lydia and Allison warning him about Stiles becoming too attached, and he was afraid that as a precaution, Stiles chose to push him away instead.  
And of course even though he understood, he didn't want it to end that way. When he thought about that first week, how quickly everything had gone, he almost wanted to smack himself in the face. If anything was ever going to happen between the two of them, it needed to be gradual and not rushed, and most importantly REAL. Derek tried to text Stiles every so often, usually getting a reply of 'sorry, busy' or 'got to go, have lots to do'. He would just sigh and continue with whatever he was doing, knowing that trying to pull someone towards you while they're pushing away is like trying to drown a fish.  
His mom was slightly sympathetic, but honestly she didn't think it was going to work out. She actually thought that it was ridiculous, and now that the rush of those first few days was past, Derek agreed with her. When it came down to it, he hardly even knew Stiles. He didn't talk to him in person very much; though they had classes together they only sat near each other in Chemistry and lunch, and it was obvious that Stiles was avoiding him.  
He had started talking to Allison and Lydia more, expressing his concern about the situation. Their simple advice was just to give it some time; Derek would have to wait until Stiles was comfortable enough, then the two of them could essentially start over. He figured that he could be patient; though he didn't know how long it would take Stiles, he was willing to wait as long as he had to. School, as usual, wasn't difficult for him, so he had plenty of time to think about other things.  
He found himself studying a lot, even though it was unnecessary and a waste of time. He just didn't know what to do with himself; school had usually been what had kept him occupied. Usually he could paint or write, but he never felt in the mood. He felt as if he needed something to inspire him, not necessarily a person, but an event, or a place, or a dream, or anything!  
Every so often, he would wake up in the middle of the night, gasping and covered in sweat, two red eyes briefly burned into his vision. He would cram his eyes shut, trying to force the burning spheres away, but for some reason they always managed to breach his mental block and enter his thoughts, always on the back of his mind, nagging him, terrifying him. Since the bowling alley, there had been at least two more reports on the news that sounded completely out of the ordinary; neither mentioning red eyes, but both involving some large creature that was terrorizing citizens. It had been deemed a mountain lion, and it was rumored that there were more than one, but Derek knew that couldn't be true because mountain lions were highly territorial and lived in solitary. It had to be the same one, or possibly something else.  
He always tried to tell himself that the lights could have been anything; the power had gone haywire and there were so many lights in that bowling alley. It could have been anything... But then he would remember how they seemed to fixate on him and come closer, his breath catching every time he relived the memory. He also remember his saving grace every time, Stiles. It was a circulatory pattern of thinking and it was starting to get annoying and even seemingly unhealthy.  
It was late October when things started to change, both the leaves and everything about Beacon Hills. Every so often, a new strange report would come in involving some kind of creature, leaving people baffled and nervous. Derek was starting to get worse and worse, sitting in his room and staring into space for hours, the same thought cycle repeating until he eventually fell asleep. He wasn't eating very much, in class he was almost non-responsive when he used to have his hand in the air to answer every question, and people were starting to get concerned about him. His mom would try to talk to him, but he would just nod and zone her out. Stiles and Scott had moved to a different table at lunch, but Lydia and Allison were obviously concerned about him as well.  
He was poking at a salad with wilted lettuce, thinking about texting Stiles after school, trying to devise a strategy. There had to be something he could say, something he could do to bring things back to normal. Lydia snapped in front of his face, saying "Derek, you ok?" He squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. "Yeah, sorry... I'm fine, don't worry!" He tried to smile so they really didn't worry, but by their responses he could tell the smile wasn't anywhere close to convincing. Allison sighed, "Look, we're just a little bit worried about you." Derek rolled his eyes a bit, sighing. "I know things seem kinda bleak right now, but I'm just trying to focus on school work."  
"But that's exactly our point. You don't really have much else to think about do you?I mean, except for-" but she was stopped by Lydia, who gently kicked her. "How about, this Friday, just the three of us go out? We could hang out at the mall and go guy hunting, maybe give you something to think about?" Derek grinned and nodded. "Yeah, I guess that would be alright... So I have a question, how are you and Scott doing?" Lydia winced and shook her head and Derek immediately regret asking the question. Allison smiled and took a deep breath.  
"Actually, things aren't looking too good! It's kinda complicated, but when it comes down to it... We're pretty sure Scott's gay." Derek raised his eyebrows, then brought them down into a frown. "But weren't you two together-" she nodded and cut him off saying, "I'm just gonna let him do whatever he needs to do. Of course I'm devastated, but it's not like he was cheating on me with another guy or anything..." She trailed off as she looked at Lydia, who was looking away and biting her bottom lip.  
Allison sighed, "Lydia, is there something you aren't telling me?" Lydia whipped back around, shaking her head. "What? No, nothing at all! Everything is absolutely ok!" Allison glared at her and Lydia sighed. "Fine. Do you know someone named Isaac?" She looked shocked as she sputtered out, "I-Isaac Lahey? Curly hair, nice eyes?" Lydia nodded. "Yeah, well he and Scott..." She didn't even finish the sentence. Allison closed her eyes, a solitary tear escaping and running don her face, dripping off of her chin and onto the table. Derek wasn't quite sure what to do, so he just grabbed her hand, which she squeezed graciously. "Maybe tonight would be better for the mall?" he asked, directing the question towards Lydia. She nodded and whispered "Yeah, good idea... Besides, it IS Halloween, and we're not planning on doing anything!" Derek forced another smile, though this one did have a little bit of genuineness behind it. "Well I'll see you two later then, I gotta get to class!" Lydia nodded then turned back to Allison, whose head was in her arms, her chest heaving in and out could tell she was trying to hold herself together, but it didn't seem to be going very well. Lydia just rubbed her back and shushed her; it seemed like the two of them were always there for each other and Derek was happy to be included into such an exclusive friendship.

So after school, the three of them headed to the mall. Derek texted his mom to let her know he wouldn't be home until later, which she was fine with, happy even! He hadn't been getting out much so she wasn't going to stop him. Once there, they didn't do very much; they just walked around from store to store, talking and not really looking at the merchandise. Allison wasn't her usual self; Derek assumed she was still upset from earlier, but he didn't want to ask and make things worse.  
As girls do, Allison and Lydia went into the bathroom together, leaving Derek awkwardly leaning against the corner of a wall. He pulled out his phone so he had something to occupy him, but there weren't any texts or missed calls. He decided he would try to text Stiles again, knowing that there would most likely be no reply. He took a deep breath and started to type, but someone rounded the corner and bumped into him, sending his phone flying and knocking him onto his butt. He winced as his assaulter offered him a hand to help him up, and his breath caught when he was brought to eye level with Stiles.  
Stiles quickly jogged to the spot where Derek's phone had landed, luckily still all in one piece and in working condition. He handed it to Derek, who pocketed it quickly and cleared his throat. "Sorry about that! Your phone ok?" Derek nodded as Scott came around the corner, almost bumping into Stiles and smiling at Derek. "Hey! What are you doing here?" Derek shrugged, feeling even more awkward then before. Where the hell were they?  
Scott and Stiles both frowned as Scott asked, "Are you here alone?" Derek shook his head and was about to reply when Allison and Lydia finally emerged from the bathroom. He winced slightly, already feeling a potentially upsetting confrontation. Allison and Lydia walked towards the group, stopping next to Derek. Allison's face dropped when she saw Scott and she looked away; the five of them stood in silence for a moment. The awkwardness emanating from Derek and Stiles combined with Allison and Scott's situation left them all a bit speechless, until Derek finally spoke up.  
"Well, this has been fun and all, but we're gonna get going!" Lydia nodded in agreement and the trio all turned away, but Stiles grabbed Derek's shoulder. Derek turned back around, his eyebrows raised. "Yes?" he asked cautiously. "Can we... Can we talk? Alone?" Derek sighed and nodded, exiting the group and following Stiles out into the middle of the mall, which had a circular central plaza and four different stretches of shops. There was a large fountain in the middle of the plaza with benches surrounding it, and the ceiling was a large glass dome that was letting in the late afternoon sunlight; Stiles was avoiding direct eye contact with Derek and looking up, watching birds fly past and clouds drift by lazily.  
They both sat on one of the benches and Derek looked over at Stiles, who was looking at the ground. "Look, if you're not ready to do this-" Stiles' head whipped up to face Derek. "No, I'm fine, I can do this... I guess my question is, are you fine?" Derek nodded, but after giving more thought to the situation he shook his head and stood up so he was facing Stiles directly. "You know what? I'm actually NOT fine! Ever since that time we went bowling, you've completely ignored me! Do you know how painful that was Stiles? I understand that you needed a little time to work things out, but a month and a half? That's completely ridiculous! Do you know what I did for the last 2 months of my life? Nothing! I didn't do anything! Because of you, all of my energy just drained away and I felt like I had nothing to live for!"  
Stiles was looking around in horror. "Derek, people are-" but Derek cut him off. "So let them stare! I don't even care right now, I'm too angry and we need to get this figured out right now! So you need to make a decision: we can either start over, as friends, or you can get the hell out of my life!" Before Stiles could reply, the glass dome above them shattered, sending shards of glass raining down upon unsuspecting shopper. Derek crouched down and covered himself, but he felt his hands and the back of his neck stinging as the glass hit him. Something dropped from the ceiling, landing in the fountain and smashing it, sending water flying everywhere. The plumbing went haywire, shooting jets of water in multiple directions. Derek looked towards the fountain and saw something large and hairy, breathing heavily and growling.  
Stiles had dropped to the ground when the glass broke, and Derek could see he had cuts all over his hands and face. People were screaming and running and the mall was in an absolute state of chaos. Derek looked around, trying to find Scott, Lydia and Allison, but they were already gone. "Stiles, we have to get out of here!" Derek screamed over the roaring of the water and the terrified chorus of other people. The beast turned quickly, looking right at Derek. And he froze. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he couldn't breathe, because two red burning eyes pierced right through him. The creature roared and Derek's mind froze; Stiles grabbed his arm and tried to pull him away as the monster stepped out of the fountain.  
With a forceful yank, Stiles managed to snap Derek back to reality, and they both started running. After the sudden mind block, so many thoughts and ideas and memories rushed back to Derek, and he suddenly recognized the creature; it was a lycan, otherwise known as a werewolf. Though he felt like his lungs were going to explode, the adrenaline running through him kept him running, just mere feet behind Stiles. However, he started feeling fatigued and when he looked back, it was still chasing after them. He saw that there was a bathroom and he ran into it, pushing a trashcan in front of the door quickly and locking himself in a stall, raising his feet so it wouldn't see him. He wasn't even sure if Stiles knew that he was gone.  
The werewolf pounded on the door and it flew open; Derek held his breath but his lungs were screaming at him, his heart beat rapid and panicked. He could hear the wolf, right outside the stalls, sniffing and letting out low growls, and the only thought that came to him was Oh God I don't want to die, not like this. There was a shattering noise and the werewolf growled, rushing out of the bathroom. He heard a scream and a struggle, then just the sound of water rushing in the distance and alarms blaring everywhere.  
He quickly exited the stall and peered carefully out of the door of the bathroom, noticing someone's body lying at the top of the stairs that led down in the courtyard, where water was starting to cover the floor. There was no sign of the wolf, so he cautiously crossed over to the body, and as he got closer he saw that it was Stiles. He broke into a run, noticing blood running down the stairs and dissipating into the water. He started to cry as he knelt down beside Stiles, who was only barely breathing. There was a large bite mark on his left shoulder and Derek shook his right, trying to get him to wake up.  
For minutes that seemed like hours, Derek tried and failed to get Stiles to wake up, shaking him and screaming his name until he was hoarse. Suddenly, the bite on his shoulder started to warp, to... heal? Soon, there was just smooth skin, with not even a trace of a scar. Stiles' eyes fluttered open, and for a split second they seem to be bright yellow, but Derek just shook his head and helped Stiles up, dumbfounded by what had just happened. "Did you... did you throw a flower pot at a giant monster to save me?" Stiles laughed and nodded and Derek wiped tears out of his eyes. He hugged Stiles, who at first seemed reluctant but eventually returned the hug. Before they separated, Derek whispered "Thank you."


End file.
